Raven Schwam-Curtis ’20 had seen the coronavirus coming: She visited China and South Korea on a research trip over winter break, when the first cases were being reported there. But she was still confronted with financial and emotional disruption when the pandemic forced Cornell to abruptly suspend classes in mid-March and switch to remote learning April 6, following spring break.
German Studies, Jewish Studies, Performing & Media Arts
Beloved emeritus professor and scholar David Bathrick, who taught theater arts, German studies and Jewish studies at Cornell for 20 years, died April 30 at his home in Bremen, Germany. He was 84. Bathrick taught and inspired countless students and colleagues over a colorful and successful career in his chosen fields.
Cornell thought leaders discussed the balance between public health and economic health, and the role government plays in finding a path forward during this worldwide crisis.
Edy Kennedy Performing & Media Arts Blackwood, NJ What was your favorite class and why? I loved Austin Bunn's Screen and Story: Script Analysis because it was the first class that made me watch movies in a way that I will never be able to unsee the process of production for the film.
As a college senior stuck home during quarantine with an interest in infectious diseases and past experience with the World Health Organization (WHO), Dalton Price ’20 thought it was completely obvious that he would sign up to help in any way he could during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In February, Longsha Liu ’21 was well aware that COVID-19 was coursing through China and around the world. His mother had been giving him regular updates about the virus’s spread in China, where most of his immediate family live – including his 77-year old grandmother, who continued to practice as a physician.
Before the Ithaca campus closed in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, members of Cornell’s Asian American community enjoyed strong connections to each other.
Brooke Laskowsky Anthropology & Archaeology Deerfield, NH What was your favorite class and why? My favorite course that I have taken is ANTHR 4246: Human Osteology. This intensive laboratory course provided me with skills to conduct research in my favorite anthropological discipline, bioarchaeology, and provided a physical foundation for understanding the embodiment of illness and injury.
Austin Chiu Biological Sciences Las Vegas, Nv What are the most valuable skills you gained from your Arts & Sciences education? My coursework throughout the years, especially in the humanities, has better equipped me to think analytically about the world. My professors have been incredible mentors, encouraging me to develop a critical understanding of not only history, but also the production of knowledge itself.
